Making Caramel Popcorn Easier than You Think

Caramel popcorn or “caramel corn” used to be directly associated with Halloween. But it has gradually become a popular snack food for just about any occasion, and is sold in concession carts, food stands and stores year-round.


Trick or treaters used to find at least several popcorn balls in their bags after a night of begging. Popcorn balls were a “clustered” form of caramel corn, shaped into a ball slightly larger in size than a baseball. Although they can still be found here and there, the popularity of the popcorn ball has slowly faded.


However, people still longed for the sumptuous taste that the combination of caramel and popcorn had to offer. Therefore, caramel corn is more popular than ever. In fact, many have taken it upon themselves to learn the recipe and make their own caramel corn. It’s not complicated, and it’s fun to get the kids involved in the process.


OK, prospective caramel popcorn makers, if you’re wondering how exactly you make this delectable snack, you’ve come to the right place:


How to make Caramel Popcorn?


Ingredients:
5 quarts popped popcorn
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract



Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Place popcorn in a large bowl. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add corn syrup, salt and brown sugar and stir as you bring it to a boil. Then boil without stirring for about four minutes then remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla, then pour a thin stream over the popcorn. Stir until popcorn is completely coated.


Then place the coated popcorn on a large shallow baking dish and place it in the preheated oven for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove the dish and let it cool. Then enjoy!

Concessions are Woven into the Fabric of History

Concession carts and food stands in one form or another have been part of the human mosaic since time can remember. Street vendors once pedaled meats and breads in their small wooden makeshift shacks along the sides of dirt roads. And now the concession trailer business is pervasive in our society. Anywhere that there is a gathering or even a decent amount of foot traffic we'll find at least one food cart waiting to satisfy our need for food and drink.

We can imagine the food carts of days gone by where fruits, vegetables, wine and fish were sold as opposed to today’s fare of hot dogs, hamburgers and nachos. Wicker baskets instead of iced-down metal bins held produce. Meat was cooked on a crude rotisserie instead of on a hot dog cooker or gas-powered grill. Berries and nuts took the place of bag snacks and candy bars. And instead of popcorn makers and pizza warmers, some type of apparatus for the drying of beef to make jerky could have been in use.

It's probably safe to assume that today we have foods that are much more convenient and require much less preparation than the concession foods of old. There's no need to skin or scale when you can simply place a few hot dogs on a roller or throw a few hamburger patties on a grill. No need to peel or wash when you can simply place pre-packaged foods on a counter. Therefore, it may also be safe to conclude that the early concessionaires worked a little harder than present day vendors! But we have had time to evolve and simplify just about every facet of our lives, vending included.

The events people attended, the games they watched and the available concession fare was quite different in the days of old. But the basic concept was the same: Have food and drink available for the hungry and thirsty, and everybody profits.

Interesting Facts About Popcorn

America loves popcorn. We eat 16 billion quarts per year. Every man, woman and child enjoy 65 quarts of popcorn each. Popcorn is a whole grain snack with only 55 calories per cup. If you use an air popper it has 31 calories.

Zea Mays Everta is popcorn's scientific name. Popcorn is a member of the grass family. It is a type of maize or corn. There are 5 types of corn. They are Flour, Dent or Field, Flint, Sweet and popcorn. The moisture in the kernels makes it pop. That level of moisture is between 13 to 15%.

Popcorn comes in two different types. One type is Mushroom and the other is Snowflake. Most concession poppers use the Snowflake. The Snowflake pops out fluffier and looks better. Most candy makers use the Mushroom variety. This type holds the candy coating better. Popcorn comes in 700 varieties.

Kettle corn was first introduced in the early 1700's. The Settlers would pop the popcorn in large cast iron kettles. They would use rendered lard and whatever sweetener they had on hand. Many times it was molasses, honey or sugar cane.

The kettle corn that you see popped at fairs and farmers markets is one of the hottest ways to make money with popcorn. It has a very high profit margin and a very low overhead. You can usually recoup your initial investment in a few shows. Microwave popcorn was first discovered in 1945. Perry Spencer discovered that popcorn would pop when placed near a microwave. Mr. Spencer led the way to development of the microwave oven. Some of the oldest known popcorn was found in Bat cave in west New Mexico in 1948. The ears of popcorn were as small as a penny to over 2 inches long. Popcorn became very popular during the great depression in the 1890's. Popcorn was sold in bags for 5 to 10 cents each. Some street vendors would push their gas and steam powered poppers around following the crowds selling popcorn. Very few people could afford this luxury. People would start their own popcorn business to help their families during the lean years.

Popcorn sales dropped off when the T.V. became popular in the 1950's. Movie theater attendance dropped off too. The consumption of popcorn dropped too when the public started making popcorn at home. Home poppers were introduced in 1925.

January 19 is National Popcorn Day! October is National Popcorn Popping Month! Native Americans would pop their popcorn right on the cob. They would insert a spear through the cob and roast it over an open fire. The kernels would pop and stick right on the cob.

The English colonists ate popcorn at the first Thanksgiving feast in Plymouth, Massachusetts. It was brought as a gift by the chief's brother. The colonists ate the popcorn with milk and sugar. This is the first known breakfast cereal.

Popcorn is listed as a sugar free snack by the American Dental Association. It is low in calories along with apples, cheese, pears, nuts and plain yogurt.

The American Diabetes Association uses popcorn as a bread exchange for weight control. Popcorn aids in digestion and provides the necessary roughage and fiber. This helps the overall health of the body. It is listed third on the 11 things that don't cause cancer. One cup of popcorn provides the 1.3 grams of dietary fiber needed.

The unpopped kernels are called "old maids" or "spinsters". Good popcorn should produce less than 2 percent of "old maids". Popcorn kernels will start popping at the temperature of 347 degrees. Popcorn can pop as high as 3 feet.

Popcorn has more phosphorus, protein, and iron than ice cream cone, pretzels, potato chips or soda crackers.

Popcorn is enjoyed in many different flavors in other parts of the world. Germany, Luxemburg, Switzerland and Belgium like their popcorn sweet. Americans love their popcorn with salt and butter and a host of sweet coatings. The Japanese eat their popcorn with seaweed or shrimp flavorings.

Concession Classics Are Still Profit Packed

It’s easy to look at this photo from the late 1960s/early 70s and only notice how different times are now. Beside the obvious style changes, there aren’t TVs, computers, cell phones, or other distractions in the photos. Just two people hoping to make a lot of money with popcorn, cotton candy (Circus Candy), hot dogs, and sodas.

But the more things change, the more they stay the same. The foods that were big money-makers then are still profit packed today. You can have all the modern bells and whistles, but make sure you have the basics covered: popcorn, cotton candy, and Sno-Kones®.

The other big changes over the years have been the popularity of “new” foods like nachos, the number of pre-packaged items (cotton candy, nachos, or caramel corn) and increased flavor options. Basically, customers want good food fast, and want to more control over what they eat.

You can keep up with the demand without breaking the bank. Start small because too many options can lead to more confusion and slower wait time. And look around at what’s popular in your area.

Just like the people in this photo, your goal should be to appeal to customers with proven money makers and good customer service. Because when people 40 or 50 years from now look back at what we do today, they’ll be thinking how far they’ve come since “way back when” and marvel that we enjoyed some of the foods that are still timeless classics.